The Washburn Millers will face off against the Harding Knights at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, these teams will really light up the scoreboard.
On Friday, Washburn was able to grind out a solid win over Park Center, taking the game 11-7.
Addy Ulfers spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned (and six unearned) runs on one hit and racked up 14 Ks.
On the hitting side, Emalyn Streifel and Ellerie Ulfers did most of the damage at the plate: Streifel went 2-for-3 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI, while Ellerie went a perfect 1-for-1 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI. That stolen base was Ulfers' first of the season. The team also got some help courtesy of Kelly Lyman, who went 1-for-3 with two runs and one stolen base.
Meanwhile, Harding had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 16 runs) and they went ahead and made it three on Thursday. They were the clear victors by a 21-8 margin over the Hawks. The Knights might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won seven matchups by ten runs or more this season.
Marcela Deloye-Romero was incredible, firing off two home runs, three runs, and three RBI while going 3-for-4. Those two home runs gave her a new career-high. Cadence Lee was another key player, going 3-for-5 with four runs, two doubles, and two RBI.
Harding always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .585. That was just more of the same: they've now posted an OBP of .585 or higher in three consecutive games.
Harding pushed their record up to 7-6 with the victory, which was their fifth straight at home. The home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 19.6 runs over those games. As for Washburn, their victory bumped their record up to 6-9.
Washburn took their win against Harding when the teams last played back in April of 2017 by a conclusive 15-5 score. Do the Millers have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Knights turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
